A Written Record of Personal Self-Improvement

Spicing Up Eggs

I learned a long time ago that it’s not too hard to make a simple dish taste better. Spices are a key, as is technique. This is what I tell my wife. I grew up cooking. I can remember helping make spaghetti sauce as a 5 year-old with me propped up on a stool and stirring the sauce while it was cooking on the stove. My mom showed me what to do, what ingredients to put in, and how to keep from getting burned. That was just one of many lessons I have learned over the years. My wife, on the other hand, did not grow up learning to cook. And so things I consider to be second nature are things that she has to think about. I’ve grown to really appreciate the lessons my mom taught me over the years. One of those lessons is to use a little spice to make a dish better.

This morning when I woke up I wanted a hot breakfast before getting ready for work. We had some rice in the refrigerator, but we didn’t have hot dogs. My all time favorite meal is rice, hot dogs, and eggs. Not the healthiest meal in the world, but one that can be slathered with ketchup (something I learned from my Uncle Carlos). Rice is a staple for me because I’m half-Japanese. So without hot dogs, what to do? I decided to make a ham and cheese omelet.

Now ham and cheese omelets are nothing special. I don’t add milk to my eggs (I never have) and I don’t mix the cheese in with the eggs, either. I go a route I saw for a traditional French omelet. If you do a search for “french omelet” or “how to make a french omelet” you’ll see a bunch of different recipes and different ways to do it. Here’s my basic approach:

Mix two eggs well in a bowl using a fork.

Ensure the filling ingredients are prepared. In this case I sliced the ham and the cheese for easy distribution.

Heat a skillet over medium heat (you want the temperature a little lower so it doesn’t burn).

Use non-stick spray to coat the skillet once it comes up to temperature (I know traditional recipes call for butter, but I prefer non-stick spray made out of canola or olive oil)

Pour in the eggs and spread around the skillet so it evenly coats the bottom.

As the bottom of the omelet begins to set, add the filling to the center and season with herbs and spices.

When the omelet looks mostly set (a French omelet will still look a little runny) use a spatula to ensure the omelet isn’t sticking, then transfer to a plate, causing the omelet to fold in half as you do so.

Even if I’m just cooking scrambled eggs, this is the basic technique I use. The eggs are creamy and they aren’t dry. There’s no need to add extra milk or water and I don’t have to reserve any extra egg to ensure I keep a creamy consistency. It’s all about having the ingredients ready ahead of time and controlling the temperature. It may take a few times to get the technique down, but it’s worth it. However, the technique isn’t what really makes a better meal. That would be the spices and herbs.

When I started cooking, we were pretty much limited to MSG, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and ground black pepper. My mom has high blood pressure and the soy sauce had more than enough sodium for what she could tolerate. Being able to afford much else wasn’t in the budget of a Marine enlisted family. Nowadays spices are cheap and plentiful, especially dried spices. However, you should never do without the basic staple of salt and pepper. I know salt can make eggs hard, but as fast as omelets cook, I don’t worry about it. They always turn out fine. So I ensure that I use a reasonable amount of salt and pepper. I also reached for two other sets of spices that just about everyone has in their cupboards: garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Yes, fresh garlic would have been better. But I didn’t have any and I didn’t have time to mince any garlic even if I had some around. Notice I did not say garlic salt. I don’t tend to use garlic salt. I typically use salt and fresh garlic. As for Italian seasoning, it’s a blend of several spices and while I like using the more common ones (basil and oregano) fresh, I didn’t have any around and I didn’t have any extra time to deal with them in any case. So I went with what worked given my resources and time: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.

It may not seem like a whole lot, but those ingredients really spice up a simple omelet. And that’s a tip for just about any simple recipe. The right selection of herbs and spices along with salt and pepper can turn an ordinary dish into something far more tasty. It’s something my wife has learned and she experiments from time to time with different spice combinations as she grows in her cooking expertise. Not every experiment is a success, even the top chefs create dishes best relegated to the trash can on occasion, but experimenting is key to knowing what you and your family like and how much spice to use.